The Aspen Experiments

Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - Airport

Carly insisted on accompanying us to the airport at four Monday morning. My flight was at 5:30. It was pitch dark and cold outside. I hated driving early in the morning. Carly carried Gracie to the car, still fast asleep.

Carly was determined to watch me get on a plane to Mexico, and assure herself that John did not get on the plane. I couldn't blame her.

She sat in the waiting area once we got to the airport, rubbing her eyes and letting Gracie toddle around the rows of chairs. I sat next to John trying to face the fact that I would probably never see him again.  My brain felt numb. I wanted to protest to someone, God maybe, that this wasn't fair. Fair, I thought, what an immature word to describe my heart breaking. Ha, ha - heart-breaking, yet more immature language. I used to despise girls who talked like that. You're in highschool, I would think, how do you know what tragedy feels like?

But now here I was. My heart breaking.  All the words sounded silly and over-used, but what other words were there? I tried to keep it all off my face. John was doing Mr. Stoic, don't-show-any-emotion, and I didn't want to appear less mature than him. I was also a tiny bit afraid that he was relieved at my departure. He was a 20-year old soldier from the 23rd century, who knew we had no future together. Was he relieved that I was going?

When my brain started to thaw I couldn't bear it. I mumbled something about getting a snack and walked away.  I went to a McDonald's that was tucked in a nook in the airport, but nothing looked at all edible. I drank messily from the water fountain instead, splashing water on my eyes and wiping my face with my sleeve. I saw John lean his head back and close his eyes, as I came back to the waiting area. Carly was smiling and watching Gracie interact with a man in the next row.  Gracie was happily inspecting a stethoscope that he kindly put around her neck. Must be a doctor, I thought. He turned slightly to the side and I froze

Mr. Ringer.

Oh. No.

Open your eyes, John! I thought. But he didn't. His back was to the row where Ringer sat. John must not have seen him walk up. I backed up and leaned against the far side of a rectangular brick pillar, out of sight from the chairs. Above me a bank of screens blinked with flight arrivals and departures.  I didn't know what to do.  Mr. Ringer must be here for me. What would he do if I never came? Could I slip onto the plane without him seeing me? Would he follow me on a plane? Would Carly and Grace be safe if I didn't come back? I sneaked another look and Ringer was gone.  Carly and Grace and John were still there, and Grace was drooling on a sucker. Shoot!

I pulled back behind my pillar again. I hadn't seen him pass me. Maybe he'd gone the other way. Looking for me?  This might be my only chance. I faced to my right, bracing myself to leave my pillar, exposed, and grab John and Carly.

Clink, clink-clink.

My heart constricted painfully. The sound of Mr. Ringer's syringes was distinctive, and very close. I spun around and he stood inches away. I stumbled backward, recoiling from him. He grabbed my upper arm, jerking me back towards him. We were both shielded from sight by the pillar.

"Listen to me, Miss McMann, and don't make a scene," he said quickly. "You don't want that. Now I don't know what John has told you, but I can't allow you to walk away."

 "And I'm not going to yell for security why?" I asked. The words sounded bold, but my voice shook. I really wanted to know.

Ringer stopped fiddling with his syringes long enough to grab a sucker from his pocket and wave it under my nose.  "I'm not going to do the menacing threat speech," he said. "Your sister and her daughter are vulnerable. Do you know how easy it is to infect a sucker with say, scarlet fever? That would be very unpleasant for them both. Of course, the little girl would probably recover. But Down Syndrome children are particularly vulnerable to long term complication."